Development and Testing of Recyclable Antimicrobial Materials for In-Space Manufacturing of Medical Devices

Title: Development and Testing of Recyclable Antimicrobial Materials for In-Space Manufacturing of Medical Devices.

Mission Directorate(s)/Centers with which the proposal alignment The mission directorate that closely related to the current project is the Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). This directorate highlights the need of methods for in-space manufacturing, as well as biological approaches to manufacturing as topics of particular interest. The current proposal best aligns with the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) EPSCoR Research Areas of interest including “Modeling of Manufacturing Processes in Micro and Reduced Gravity Environments” and “Development of Process Pathways between In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and In-Space Manufacturing”.

Areas of Expertise Required 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing/Rapid Prototyping

Science Investigator (Science-I): Jorge M. Zuniga Ph.D. UNO Department of Biomechanics jmzuniga@unomaha.edu

Technical Summary The reported immune dysfunction of astronauts in space and the viral antibiotic resistance during spaceflights suggest the critical need of developing preventive countermeasures for the manufacturing of medical devices associated with high bacterial load. The objective of the current proposal is to develop new antimicrobial polymers compatible with the Additive Manufacturing Facility at the International Space Station (ISS) for in-space manufacturing of medical devices.

Two new antimicrobial materials will be developed, high-strength polylactic acid-based and a polyurethane-based material, and used during ground manufacturing of test coupons and medical devices using a replica of the ISS’s Additive Manufacturing Facility. After ground manufacturing, antimicrobial and mechanical characterization testing will be performed on the ground manufactured objects. On-orbit manufacturing of test coupons and medical devices will be performed using a high-strength polylactic acid-based material at the original Additive Manufacturing Facility on the ISS. After on-orbit manufacturing at the ISS, antimicrobial and mechanical characterization of test coupons and medical devices manufactured on-orbit will be tested and compared to ground manufactured objects. A two-tailed student T-test will be performed to compare the differences between ground and on-orbit manufactured test coupons and medical on antimicrobial and mechanical characterization properties. An alpha value of 0.05 will be considered statistically significant for all comparisons.

Specific Aims: Aim 1: Development of high-strength antimicrobial polylactic acid based- and polyurethane-based materials compatible with the additive manufacturing facility in the ISS. Aim 2: Perform antimicrobial and mechanical characterization of new materials using a replica of the additive manufacturing facility on-ground. Aim 3: Development and post-extrusion mechanical characterization of test coupons and the 3D printed medical devices manufactured on-orbit.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.